CENTRE WELLINGTON – While many questioned planners and developers alike at a council meeting in Centre Wellington Monday, one well-known local group let it be known they’re encouraging the green light on a proposed Centre Wellington Battery Energy Storage System. (BESS)
Aypa Power was back before council at the follow-up to an earlier public meeting, with an updated site plan presented by MHBC Planning’s Pierre Chauvin.
The BESS would be built on current farmland and take up 4.6 hectares on the 43-hectare lot, with a 25-year lifespan for the project. The land would be restored to its original use at the end of that timeline.
Chauvin told council that the original site plan has taken into consideration comments from the public meeting. The setback distance from Second Line has been increased to 200 metres. A wet pond and a noise reduction wall highlight other changes.
While the BESS has seen plenty of opposition since first coming before council a couple of years ago, Deborah Whale, President of the Grand River Agricultural Society, said their board is in favour of the project.
In addressing council, Whale stated that as Centre Wellington expands, so does the need for sustainable energy.
Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator, or IESO, was also on hand with a presentation.
It was Whale, though, who vouched heavily for the project off of Second Line in the former township of Nichol. She stated more energy supply is necessary on a broader scale than just inside Centre Wellington.
Past concerns have come from both individuals and groups. Janet Harrop, former president of the Wellington Federation of Agriculture, worried about the effect on the lands for years to come, while many residents and councillors were concerned about both health implications and other impacts.
Whale, who also sat on the Ontario Power Authority Board as well as spending 5 years on the Independent Electricity System Operator Board, cautioned those against the project not to judge too quickly the effect the BESS would have on farmland.
Multiple councillors had questions for Aypa Power and their consultants. Councillor Lisa MacDonald for one said she’d like to see more research be done as far as the effects of vibrations from the BESS. The Grand River Conservation Authority had no formal concerns documented.
Presenting the benefits of the project was Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator.
Listed were perks, including keeping up with the expected 75 per cent growth in electricity demand by 2050 in the province. Locally, the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge-Guelph region, which includes Centre Wellington, is anticipated to see growth of up to 110 or 115 per cent by 2043.
While Marko Cirovic, their Director of Sector Engagement, says this demand is aided by large-scale projects, councillors questioned whether this company claiming to be proudly Canadian, would dole the profits to their USA-based North American headquarters,
Whale told council this is the right way to chip away at a pending deficit.
The issue will return before council with a recommendation at a later date.
